The Biggest Change
by minte
Summary: KakaSaku. Sakura, now 20 years old, has her sights set on her exsensai, Kakashi. Currently rewriting chapters.
1. Memories

The Biggest Change

by Minte

Memories

(Note that Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto are all around twenty)

--

Sakura sighed heavily. Numerous stacks of papers surrounded her as she sat at her desk. Bright green eyes began wandering, then fixing on the bright moon shining through the nearby window. Memories of team 7 suddenly flooded her mind..

Nostalgic.

That's the word she decided; it was the word that described her current emotion.

_A lot has changed_, she sighed once again. In the last few years, both Naruto and Sasuke had become jounins and were regularly out of Konoha on dangerous missions; she herself was now a medical-nin, while their teacher, Kakashi, remained an instructor for newly graduated students of the academy.

Probably one of the biggest changes was Sakura's obsessive crush over the Uchiha heir. Eventually, she had realized how many times he had given her a clear and lucid 'no' and how many times she had ignored them and brushed them off. The kunoichi couldn't help but feel a tinge of embarrassment recalling her oblivious little 12-year old self. No, no_. Now _she had her gaze set on her former teacher.

Of course she hadn't told anyone yet-- I mean, how repulsive would it be for a student to love her ex-sensai? And with the age gap? It was a taboo, alright.

Hell, she wasn't even sure if she actually loved him, or just was really, really, extremely close to him...

Er.

Somehow, the two choices she had thought up seemed no different from eachother. And this made her only more irritated.

_Dammit. Everything has to be so confusing. Even these report papers are out to get me. _

The thought of a nice glass of sake sliding down her parched throat was very inviting, so the kunoichi set off to the local shinobis' bar.

--

Knowing she had a low tolerance for alcohol, Sakura stopped herself from ordering another glass of sake. If it was one thing she was gifted with, it was an ability to refuse temptation.

She was about to leave the bar when a fully-clothed-in-green figure flouncing around drunkenly caught her eye. Sakura immediately knew it was Gai; no one else in Konohagakure would dare wear a skintight jump suit for the whole town to gawk at. Well, besides Lee that is.

_I bet Kakashi's here too. _

Stepping away from the door, the medic scanned the room. There was no doubt in her mind; Kakashi was bound to be here and in a similar condition as Gai's.

Yep.

The masked ninja was close by and more than a bit drunk.

Frowning slightly, Sakura walked over to him. "Kakashi, what are y-- oof," grunted the pink-haired nin when he collasped onto her,"Kakashi... You're heavy, get up..."

Replying in gibberish, the Copy ninja began to slowly heave himself up. "I can't believe I had so much respect for you," she shook her head disapprovingly, dragging him out of the pub. Kakashi responded, incoherently, which Sakura guessed was an attempted apology. After a few stumbles and attempts from Kakashi to catch his footing, they both were walking down the, still lively, Konoha streets.

A thought suddenly occurred to her, making the blood drain from her face.

She didn't have the key to Kakashi's house...

And no way was she about to begin digging through his infinite pockets.

Inner turmoil erupted, since the sight of her bringing him into her home would be highly questionable. More panic ensued and Sakura had the urge to leave him right then and there, in the middle of the village, but instantly decided against it. That idea was her inner self's working no doubt.

"You owe me one, Kakashi," she murmured, beginning towards her home.

--

Warm. That was the first thing Sakura felt as she awoke. The warmth emitting from the other figure on the bed was so consoling...Wait. Someone else beside her?

The bed-headed Sakura jumped out of the covers, eyes wide and alarmed. Eyelids drooped back down when she recalled last night's events.

"...Thank you for bringing me back here," Kakashi spoke. Her loud awakening must've woken him up.

It took Sakura a moment to register what he was talking about. " Just don't go getting yourself drunk carelessly!"

"I'll remember that," he chortled, "Goodnight."

"What! No! We're going to be late!" she shot a look at the clock,"GAH! Get up, we're late already!"

--

Days later...

"Oi! One of Kakashi's students passed the Chuunin exam in Mist," Tsunade grinned, reading a small scroll.

"Really? I'll make sure to congratulate him," Sakura reminded herself aloud.

"Sure, sure. Just help me finish these first."

--

Sakura was in the marketplace when she felt a tap on her shoulder, "Sakura?"

She whirled around to meet the familiar figure of her ex-sensai," Hi Kakashi," said Sakura. "Yo," he smiled under his mask. "Oh! I forgot, congratulations on the chuunin exams, Hokage-sama told me that a student of yours passed," Sakura mentioned, "But, of course he would pass, he has _The Great Copy Ninja _as his sensai," she teased, sticking out her tongue. Kakashi chuckled back, "Also, don't forget Sasuke and Naruto should be coming back tomorrow. They wanted to meet us after giving their report to the Hokage."

Sakura smacked her forehead, "I almost forgot!"

"Almost?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," Sakura huffed back.

--


	2. A Reunion

The Biggest Change

by Minte

A Reunion

--

"I wonder where Kakashi is." Sakura wondered aloud.

"Eef obobahbly ill sweeping (He's probably still sleeping)," Naruto guessed, inbetween bites of his beloved ramen.

"Don't talk while you're eating, it's disgusting," Sasuke scowled.

Sakura smiled lightly to herself, it was just like old times.

It turns out, that the three had met up after Naruto and Sasuke gave their reports to the Hokage. Originally, they were going to wait for Kakashi at the gates of the village, but Naruto had dragged them impatiently to the ramen shop after only 10 minutes of waiting.

_Some things never change._

"Boo," a voice spoke as two hands lay on Sakura's shoulders. The girl jumped, taken by surprise. "Kakashi! Don't scare me like that," her voice was stern, but her features easily told she was simply joking. "Sorry I'm late. I was attacked by a pack of wild boars," lied Kakashi. Sakura smacked his arm lightheartedly, "C'mon Kakashi. We all know you overslept or something."

Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed. _Since when did they become so friendly towards each other? _He eyed Naruto to see if he noticed it too. Nope, he was just slurping up more mouthfuls of ramen, somewhat obliviously. Of course. His apprehensive observing was cut short when Sakura brought him into the conversation, "So, how'd the mission go, Sasuke?"

"It went well. We finished it with only minor injuries," he stated, flicking his head towards Naruto; indicating the blond was the one who was most wounded.

"Ey! Dehy ust aught me woff gahurd! (Hey! They just caught me off guard)," defended Naruto as he swallowed his last bite.

--

In the late evening, the four separated, Sasuke and Naruto needed to rest as they were going to be off to other assignments soon. Sakura and Kakashi walked the same way, because their homes were close to each other. "Bye, Kakashi," Sakura smiled as they reached his home, "Goodbye," he replied.

Sakura resumed her walk back home.

Only but a few moments later, the kunoichi felt a nearby presence and immediately tensed up.

She tilted her head sideways, almost unnoticeably. No one was there.

_It better not be one of those night perverts, _Inner Sakura mused. Sakura ignored this.

Brows furrowing, Sakura slowly slid her hand towards her kunai pouch, which was strapped to her mid-thigh. Her fingers fumbled at the opening of the small pouch, from the rushing adrenaline quickly surging throughout her body and also adding the possibility of an upcoming battle. Fingertips finally met a cold, metallic ring--the end of a kunai. She frowned, noticing that she was low on weapons... One kunai and a single set of shuriken weren't nearly enough. Her grip on the dagger tightened.

The medic continued her walk, successfully keeping a collected and visibly unaware composure; the only thing she could to do prepare was to wait expectantly.

Sakura became anxious after a few minutes of silence. The feeling of fear and uneasiness knotted her stomach uncomfortably.

If she couldn't sense this person, it would be more than just risky.

_Crack._

It was the sound of a twig snapping into two.

Sakura suddenly winced as a sharp pain filled her senses. The stalker must've known he was found out, and instead of remaining hidden, which would be pointless, took the offensive and threw a couple of shuriken.

Immediately endorphins rushed to the cuts on her arm and shoulder.

She retaliated by throwing her only kunai back.

_I didn't become a medic for nothing. _Her fingertips glowed a soft blue as she raised her hand to the bleeding wounds. It would be easy to heal herself…. But defeating this enemy with only _four_ shuriken and rather rusty taijitsu was another story.

She heard her attack being blocked, then followed by the _whoosh _of the enemy jumping to another hidings spot among the trees.

_Dammit. It's not a simple night pervert_, Sakura inwardly mocked her other self's previous joke, _he's more than decently trained. _

Her eyes darted nervously, looking for the once again hidden foe. _This isn't good._ It appeared as if no one had been there, although she well knew someone indeed was.

The only other option left was to run. And run she did.

--

A string of loud and hasty knocks interrupted the masked ninja. Kakashi sauntered over to his door lazily. A blur of pink rushed inside without even as much as a greeting.

"…Sakura?"

The kunoichi was panting heavily, not able to reply just yet.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, concern lacing his voice when he spotted the rips and blood stains along her sleeves

"Stalker……hiding…..kunai…pervert…..trees…cut…" she panted, catching her breath.

The jumble of random words was easily interpreted by Kakashi. Maybe it was a sign that he had known her a bit too long, "Someone was following you?"

Sakura nodded. After making sure she was okay, Kakashi started to laugh lightly. "What are you laughing about?" Sakura asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't a ninja be able to defend herself?"

"It's not funny!" Sakura snapped," I barely had anything to defend myself with!"

"I know, I know," the jounin laughed," You can stay here tonight, just incase."

Sakura's face colored at the mere thought. He was just paying debt for the other day. He was just concerned for her….._right?_

The blush deepened and Sakura made the excuse of taking a shower and cleaning herself up to hid it.

Later…

After tactically arguing with her former teacher, Sakura was triumphant and claimed the only bed, giving Kakashi the couch.

Slipping into the covers, she mused to herself, taking in Kakashi's scent. Even though she was exhausted, she stayed awake calculating inwardly.

And then she decided.

She couldn't let this relationship further than friends, no matter how she felt. It would be best for them both.

--

The roseate girl was surprised to find Kakashi awake and away when she awoke. _I wonder where—_As if it were rehearsed, the Copy ninja appeared right in front of her.

"Where did you go?"

"To the Hokage."

"…Tsunade-sama….? Why?" her eyebrows crinkled in curiosity.

He nodded. "I told her about you're, 'stalker'," he continued," she said it might've been foreign nins aiming for your medic skills. So she assigned you a guard."

"A guard…Who?"

A grin was evident even through his mask.

"Me."

--

This is the edited version. Dear God, I can't believe I used to write like that (shame, shame). But my current writing style still could use some work too… Blah.


	3. A Day Off

The Biggest Change

-----------------

Sakura's eyes opened slowly as she heard the faint beeping of her alarm clock. Today was the sixth day since Kakashi had talked to the Hokage. The routine was already drilled in her head: Sakura slid out of bed and walked to the other room to wake Kakashi (who was sleeping on the couch). It actually became a regular habit for the two: Sakura cooking meals enough for both of them, Kakashi escorting her back home/to work and staying overnight, and Sakura having to wake him up every morning. But today he was especially hesitant to get up.

After numerous tries that ended in vain, Sakura decided to use her last resort. The bed-headed kunoichi made her way to the adjacent kitchen and retrieved a cup of water. With a mischievous grin, she poured it onto the sleeping jounin. The cold water splashed onto Kakashi. He swiftly pulled up a hand to grab Sakura's wrist and prevent the rest of the containments from emptying onto him. With one quick movement, Kakashi rolled over, with his arms pinning Sakura to the couch. For a moment, it appeared that he was actually going to do something; but, instead, his supporting arms bowed under him and he collapsed onto her. She was stunned for a moment but when she heard his slight snore, she groaned," You sleep like a log, Kakashi-san."

Sakura gave up once she had found it impossible to push him off….One day off wouldn't hurt.

-------------------

Hours later the jounin finally awoke. He groggily pushed himself up and at once noticed the smaller nin sleeping soundly under him. His visible eye widened as he saw the position they were in, then drooping back down as he remembered the incident which taken place when Sakura had—attempted—to wake him.

Kakashi smiled and brought up a hand to caress Sakura's cheek, painstakingly slow. It was withdrawn as he got up and off the couch. The medic nin grumbled when the source of the gentle warmth left. She curled up and resumed sleeping.

------------------

A flip of a page distracted Sakura from her sleep. She awoke and slowly sat up,"Kakashi-san?"

He was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, reading his little dirty novel. His head rose and turned towards her. Acknowledging her.

"Sorry 'bout sleeping so long," she apologized, scratching the back of her neck guiltily.

"It's alright. You needed the rest anyways."

"Hm.. Yeah, I guess so," Sakura shrugged. "…But you have to explain to Tsunade-sama!" grinned Sakura impishly, ear to ear.

---------------

The following day, Kakashi had come up with an excuse of why Sakura had missed work. Tsunade had a doubtful expression, but dismissed her anyhow. The kunoichi sighed in relief. "Oh, yes. Kakashi, I need to talk to you," Tsunade said, putting down her writing utensil momentarily. Sensing she wasn't needed, much less wanted, Sakura left the building and waited for her ex-sensai outside. 

The grey haired nin appeared soon. "What did the Hokage say?" Sakura asked.

"I have to leave on a mission tonight."

"Oh..." replied Sakura, even Kakashi could hear the tint of disappointment," So how long will you be gone?"

"I should be back within a week," Kakashi smiled hoping to brighten up the mood.

Suddenly realizing her expression was grim and disappointed, she slapped a huge grin on her face.

_After work…._

"Well, do you want to go back home?" Sakura asked lightly, _Wow. I'm even calling my apartment our 'home'.  
_

"Sure."

During the walk back, Sakura found herself extremely dizzy and tired. Noticing this, Kakashi asked,"Are you feeling okay, Sakura?"

"Hmm..? Oh..Yeah I'm fine.." she mumbled, her words slurred.

"I think you should rest when we get back," he instructed. Sakura couldn't even wait until they arrived home; her knees buckled bellow her, allowing her body to meet the ground.

---------------

"She has a fever. One hundred and four degrees, Fareigheit. Most likely from stress or lack of sleep," a voice listed, "Also her chakra level is running low. She'll probably have to stay here for a few days."

"Alright," Kakashi sighed. Bending down, he muttered to the sleeping nin, "I have to go on my mission. I'll see you soon." The Copy ninja gave the lying kunoichi another glance before leaving the hospital room. She stirred a bit, but returned to her sleeping state.

------------------

_Concentrate, Kakashi. Concentrate. She only has a small fever, she'll be fine_, Kakashi reassured himself. He jumping from branch to branch towards the Village Hidden in the Mist and already had almost fallen a couple of times, preoccupied in his worries. _The quicker you finish this assignment, the quicker you see how she's doing. _

-------------------

In the darkness of her hospital room, Sakura finally awoke. The dizziness had subsided a bit, but a headache still lingered. Suddenly remembering the previous incidents and snapped her head to the clock. Kakashi had already left.

"I'm so weak… I let a little cold get me down," Sakura grunted.


	4. Returning

The Biggest Change 

I haven't updated this fic in a while…heh. I'll try and get it back up to speed.

Enjoy!

-----------------

The next morning Sakura was diligent and insisted that she was well enough to leave. The medic-nin however refused and told her to remain in the infirmary for at least a day more. The green-eyed kunoichi persisted, but finally gave up and lay down to rest; hoping the day would fly by soon.

-----------------

Overnight, Kakashi had arrived at the Mist village and instantaneously started to carry out his mission. By the looks of it, he would probably have to stay for a couple days at least. Just thinking about it made a small frown appear on his masked lips.

-----------------

For the past couple of hours, Sakura had been staring at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing on earth. Once in awhile, her gaze would shift and she would study another part of the room. By now she had already memorized the room like the back of her hand: There was a huge gauge in the wall to her right, how it got there she didn't know. A nearby machine would beep faintly every three and a half seconds (yes, she counted), and the grey file cabinet present in the room had exactly four drawers, with the second from the bottom's handle twisted in a peculiar way.

Sakura couldn't help but feel self-pity. All of her friends were most likely on missions, and lying here all day definitely beat her usual paperwork on the boring-meter.

_How'd I end up here, anyways? _

_You're telling me you already forgot? _Inner Sakura sighed deeply.

_Oh yeah. I blacked out when I was with Kakashi-san. How embarrassing. _

The image of her ex-sensai popped up into her head.

"I hope you're doing okay, Kakashi."

_Meanwhile…._

Continuing a line of hand seals, the Copy ninja took advantage of his surroundings, which happened to be a large body of water, _"Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu (Explosion skill; water element)!"_ As his opponents were sent flying, he inwardly thanked Zabuza for using the move on him and permitting his sharingan to duplicate the jutsu exactly. The foes slowly recovered.

_This can't drag on any further_, he told himself firmly. The famous ninja activated his sharingan and then gathered chakra to one arm, readying himself to strike.

-------------------

It had been days, almost a week, since Sakura was sent into the hospital and Kakashi had begun his task. The green-eyed kunoichi had finally been released from the infirmary, and resumed her normal activities of being a medic ninja.

The Hokage had apologized for sending Sakura's 'guard' out on a mission, but told her it was urgent and he was needed. Tsunade had offered to assign another nin to protect her until Kakashi came back. Sakura politely declined.

Although Sakura well knew that missions assigned to talented jounins usually could take months—even years—to complete, she was still anxious of the return of her comrades and old teacher… "Sakura!" Tsunade called out from a nearby room. The voice broke Sakura from her uncertainties. "Hmm?"

"Kakashi's back."

"Really?" asked Sakura gleefully.

The Hokage nodded. " And can you do me a favor?" she began, not bothering for an answer, "Can you go tend to him? He has some wounds, most are minor."

Sakura nodded and had already started towards the door when Tsunade spoke again, "Oh yeah, he's also reassigned your guard."

"Arigatou, Tsunade-sama!" Sakura beamed before heading off.

Astonished at the numerous injuries Kakashi had withstood, Sakura slowly healed each of them one-by-one. Her cheeks reddened when Kakashi had to peel off his shirt so she could examine the cuts on his back, but she kept on a poker face and tried to remain professional. When the medic-nin finally finished the task, she was exhausted and famished.

By now, it was early on in the evening. The pair had started to walk back towards Sakura's residence and were greeted by some familiar faces," Hey! Kakashi!" Asuma called out, his words slurred slightly. Both Kakashi's and Sakura's attention turned towards the commotion. Along with Asuma, other jounins were there including Kurenai, Gai, and Genma. Most were gulping down glasses of sake.

_So this is what the do in their spare time?_ Sakura thought sourly.

Nonetheless, she followed her ex-sensai as he strolled over, "Oh, hello Sakura!" greeted Genma, who was probably the only sober one…for now, anyway. Sakura said hello to each of the jounins, bowing slightly to indicate respect.

_I bet I'm going to be the one dragging_ _all their drunk asses home, _Sakura giggled to herself.

Gai had invited Kakashi to one of their usual rivalries of who could consume down the most booze, but it was rejected (to Sakura's surprise and delight) when Kakashi remembered the last time he had engaged in a contest. Lee's sensai, Gai, was astonished and then smiled a toothy grin when he spotted Sakura," How about you, my beautiful flower?"

_Ugh. So this is where Lee gets it, _Inner Sakura groaned.

Kakashi's strong grip enclosed on Sakura's upper arm, pulling her farther from the bowled-cut jounin, indicating a protective "no".

Later, probably half-an-hour, they left towards Sakura's home. It was the first in a long time.

-------------------


	5. Hangovers and Jealousy

The Biggest Change

Ah, finally updating this story! The past chapters have been irking the crap out of me, so I'll probably be tweeking them a bit. Anyways, here's the story, delayed and all!

-----------------

It had been about two days since Kakashi returned from his mission…

"I'm going to go meet Genma, I'll be back soon," Kakashi waved lazily, sauntering over to the door.

"'Kay," Sakura waved back, entering her bedroom. Boy, was she exhausted. A whole family had caught a seemingly contagious disease, and it was her job to find a cure--and quick. They didn't want a pandemic spreading around the village.

She had spent most of the day studying, looking for the cause and cure; when she wasn't, Sakura was helping the Hokage with her papers.

_I filled out one paper too many._

Her right hand was cramped, in a rigid position and it wasn't the most pleasant feeling that exists, mind you.

…_And read one book too many. _

Since she had strained her eyes to read line after line of text, they were stinging her eyelids were also threatening to shut permanently any second now.

"Goodnight," she said to no one in particular. The small bed dipped as Sakura crawled in quickly slipping into sleep which was welcoming her with open arms.

---------------

Early morning sunlight slowly filtered through the blinds of the windows. Abstract patterns of light danced on the surface of Sakura's pale bedroom walls.

_Time to wake up Kakashi.._

The kunoichi heaved herself out of the warmness of her bed. She lagged out of the room, then into the small living room where Kakashi was sleeping.

Or at least should have been.

"Kakashi?"

The vague hum of the villagers bustling outside was the only sound that responded.

Kakashi plus Genma… Plus a late evening..

"I'm going to kill him," she snarled. She quickly stomped out of her home.

Many civilians who were familiar with Sakura stopped themselves from greeting her as they saw the pink-headed girl trotting down the street. A Haruno Sakura, with bed-head hair, a wrinkled uniform, and an expression dangerously bitter was something you'd want to stay clear of.

A nearby storekeeper had an anxious look on his face when he spotted her walking up to his stand.

"Er, hello Sakura.."

"Have you seen _Genma _or," she stopped, as if the pause would make the following words more dramatic,"** Kakashi**?"

"I recall them being at the bar last nig—"

"Thank you," Sakura smiled sweetly. The gesture was quite contrasting to the vibe she was giving off.

And with that, she spun around and stomped noisily away. Finally reaching the familiar bar for shinobi, she violently kicked the door open.

Just as expected, both Genma and Kakashi were sprawled out, heads resting on a table. Experiencing a hangover, no doubt.

"Eh…Hey Sakura," Genma slurred. He barely lifted a hand to wave.

"Hello Genma," she gave another fake and innocent smile. Her head then whipped around to the other sleeping jounin.

The Copy Ninja was sleeping so peacefully…. She had to change that.

"**KA-KA-SHI!"**

He awoke, though not too startled. "Ah, hello Sakura… Sorry, I just got caught up with everything," he trailed off lazily.

Sakura dragged him out of the bar. She was biting her tongue furiously to prevent herself from going 'kaboom', but stopped as an unfamiliar character ran up to half-awake Kakashi.

"Hi Kakashi-_kun_," she cooed. The girl then giggled flirtatiously which made Sakura's eye twitched uncontrollably.

Oh how she wanted to wring the girl's pretty little neck…

"I'm _sorry_, we have to go," Sakura apologized insincerely; pulling Kakashi away so hard his arm was probably dislocated from his shoulder.

Sakura didn't know why she was so worked up over the stranger's greeting.

Sakura didn't know why she was so furious right now.

And most of all, Sakura didn't know where to bring the hangover-ed Kakashi.

The thought of leaving him in the middle of the road was tempting, but she decided against it. Soon enough, she found herself back in her home, except this time, Kakashi was there, leaning limply against her for support.

Watching him sitting on the small couch with his chest lifting leisurely with every inhale made the itch of dumping him in the middle of Konoha worm into her mind once again. It was annoying: she had been so angry while he was still indifferent.

_Those patients aren't going to recover by themselves. _She reminded herself.

The nin hastily threw a few pills on the table next to Kakashi and then left.

---------------

The green-eyed kunoichi sifted through pages of a thick book, searching for any hints of what the victims were suffering from. No luck. Sighing, she rubbed her temples in a circular motion to lighten the headache.

---------------

Meanwhile, Kakashi had just awoken. He immediately got up and made his way to the kitchen sink, grabbing the edge of the silver surface as he emptied his body of the previous night's indulgence.

His head throbbed in pain.

But this was ignored, because the only thing he felt right now was guilt.

--------------

I had to make a little quarrel, or else I think the story would be too fluffy. Blame me and my paranoid self.

Please do review!


End file.
